Bicycle-connecting device



M. C. GELDOWSKY. BICYCLE CONNECTING DEVICE.

Patented Mar. 31, 1896.

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARTHA C. GELDOIVSKY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

BICYCLE-CONNECTING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 557,309, dated March 31, 1896.

Application filed October 18, 1895- To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MARTHA O. GELDowsKY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bicycle-Connecting Devices; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in means for joining two bicycles so that they may be ridden together and thus allow of an inexperienced rider, and in fact two of such riders, to easily ride without danger of injury from falls.

My improvement will be a great aid to a beginner. It is detachable, adjustable, and foldable. Two bicycles may be quickly united and ridden as one, and the attachment as. readily removed, so that the two machines can be ridden separately, as ordinarily. It is proposed to construct the attachment of some light material, perhaps aluminium, so that it will add but little weight to be carried, and it is so constructed that it can be packed in small compass to be attached to the front fork or other part of the machine when not in use.

The bars of the attachment may be provided with knobs or analogous devices for the attachment of a canvas or receptacle for the reception of luggage, and thus it constitutes what I term a transportation-brace for bicycles.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view showing two bicycles connected by my improved attachment. Fig. 2 is 'a perspective view of the parts constituting the improvement, separated.

Serial No. 566,058. (No model.)

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in the different views.

. Referring now to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates the front bar and B the back bar of the attachment. These may be made of any suitable material, preferably aluminium, and of a length corresponding substantially to thedistance required between the two bicycles which they connect;

or these bars may be adjustable in length in openings A and A for a purpose which will soon be made apparent.

C are the front-bar supports. They are each formed with a bifurcated end a to receive the front fork of the wheel to which it is attached and to which it is held by a setscrew C or other analogous device. This support is' offset, as shown, so as to throw the bar A which it supports at the proper height. The ends of these supportsare designed to engage the holes A in the front bar A and are there adjustably and detachably held by suitable means, as by set-screws D.

E are the supports for the back bar B. They are each formed with a bifurcation e to receive the saddle-post or other part to which they are to be secured and are held thereto by suitable means, as the set-screws E. The rear ends of these supports are designed to engage the holes A in the ends of the rear bar B, and in which they are secured detachably and adj ustably by suitable means, as by set-screws F, as shown.

G are brace-rods. As shown in Fig. 2, there are four of these rods, the forward ends of two of which are designed to engage in the openings A in the front bar A, while their other ends are formed into eyes g connected together to constitute ahinge upon which the rods may be turned, so that they may be extended more or less, as may be required, and permitting of the rods being folded one upon the other, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, for convenience in carrying upon the machine when not in use. The other two rods are similarly connected and their rear ends are designed to engage in the holes A in the rear bar 13 and there held by set-screws H.

The rear supports E are offset, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to bring'the bar 13 to the proper height.

In practice, when it is desired to join two bicycles all that it is necessary to do is to atfix in position the front and rear supports 0 and E, place the bars A and B in position thereon and the brace-rods G so as to hold the said bars at the proper distance apart, and then the brace bars or rods are united at their hinge portions by means of a bolt I, which is passed therethrough and engages screwthreads formed in the bore through the eyes of the said rods, as will be readily understood. The two bicycles will thus be firmly connected together.

The back and front bars, as well as all or a part of the crossed brace-rods, may be provided with suitable devices, as knobs J, as shown, upon which may be supported a canvas K, as seen in full lines in Fig. 1 and by dotted lines in Fig. 2, in which may be carried any kind of luggage, such as baskets, coats, and the like. This canvas may be arranged, as shown, or it may extend from the front to the rear bar, or two or more triangular pieces may be employed, or, if desired, triangular sacks may be supported from the said knobs and serve to carry quite an outfit for either a man or a woman.

Instead of making the brace-rods with a hinge connection at their point of crossing I may sometimes make the same of four independent rods, their adjacent ends being held detachably in the central block or casting L, (see Fig. 1,) so that they may all be removed and placed side by side when not in use.

As bicycles difiier in length as well as in height, and as it may sometimes be desirable to connect two bicycles dittering in height as well as in length, Iprovide for the necessary movements of the front and rear bars either forward or back or up or down by making the holes in the ends of the said bars slightly larger than their supports 0 and E, so that the said bars may be readily turned to give them the required position relative to the other parts.

In Fig. 1 I have shown a device for connecting the handle-bars of the two bicycles,

and this consists of the arms M, which are designed to be detachably clamped upon the handle-bars, and to the outer ends of these arms are pivotally connected, as at m, the outer ends of the rods or bars N, the adjacent ends of which are telescopically united and constructed to be held in their adjusted positions by a set-screw 0. By this means the two machines are so connected as to move in unison, and both can be guided by one person. This connecting means may, however, not always be present.

Modifications in detail may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

hat is claimed as new is- 1. The combination with the front and rear bars and their supports detachably and adjustably held therein and extended in the direction of the length of a bicycle, of the brace-rods detachably united and detachably connected with the said bars, and a luggagecarrier detachably supported therefrom, substantially as specified.

2. The combination with the front and rear bars and their supports separate therefrom and detachably connected therewith, of the brace-rods in pairs pivotally united at their inner ends and their outer ends detachably held in said bars, and each pair foldable i11- dependently of the other pair, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination with the front and rear bars having holes near their ends, of the sup ports for said bars having their ends detachably secured in said holes and extended in the direction of the length of the bicycle and at right angles to the bars, and the bracerods in pairs hinged together, and means for uniting the hinges of the two pairs, substantially as specified.

4. The combination with the front and rear bars, and their supports, of the brace-rods detachably held in said bars and united at their adjacent ends, and knobs or their equi valents on said bars and braces and a luggagecarrier detachably supported from said knobs, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MARTHA G. GELDOWSKY.

\Vitnesses:

HARRY W. VORDENBERG, P. MALLow. 

